The UK and Japan are expected to agree a package of investment and cooperation agreements that includes support for 5.9 GW of floating offshore wind projects in UK waters. At the centre of the package is a new Offshore Wind Compact, developed in partnership with Great British Energy. The agreement is intended to support the development of the Ossian and Green Volt projects off Scotland's east coast and the Erebus project in the Celtic Sea.
The Offshore Wind Compact will help facilitate up to £9 billion of Japanese investment in UK offshore wind projects in which Japanese companies hold stakes. The agreement forms part of a broader package of commercial and government agreements covering clean energy, infrastructure, technology and other sectors.
The two countries are also expected to deepen cooperation in other low-carbon energy technologies. UK and Japanese national laboratories, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), will expand collaboration on fusion energy research.
In addition, Furukawa Electric and Tokamak Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore options for a new UK-based fusion research and development facility.
Grid infrastructure is also included in the package. Hitachi Energy plans to create at least 500 jobs in the UK over the next five years to support grid expansion projects. The company will invest more than £18 million in a new facility in Stafford and has already opened a Centre of Excellence in Glasgow.
The wider package is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs and deliver more than £18 billion in economic gains through investments across clean energy, infrastructure, technology and life sciences.
The agreements are expected to be signed during a meeting between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of the G7 summit.
